Conversations with a Dead Man
by SarkSilver
Summary: After Angel looses his soul, Buffy goes to the mansion intent on killing him, but she meets Spike instead.
1. The Mansion on Crawford Street

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of Buffy or Spike, although I wish that I did. No profit is being made of this, it is simply a by product of having nothing to watch now that the series is finished. 

**Author's note: **This story is set in Season 2 sometime after Angel looses his soul.

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Chapter I - The Mansion on Crawford Street

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She was a blonde, maybe five-three at the most. She stared up on the mansion-on-Crawford-street with wide green eyes, it was the first time she had come here. She steeled herself and then marched up the steps, yanked the door open and found the place empty. She let out a sigh, she wasn't sure if it was relief or despair. She had so wanted to come here and surprise him, lure him out and fight him till the death. It was his or hers at this point and she really didn't care which one it was. She was just about to turn and leave when a sudden prickle tugged at the end of her consciousness.

There was a vampire here.

Buffy Summers whirled around, her eyes narrowed. She supposed at least she could dust _something_. She hoped it was a vampire close to him; maybe she could even leave a note, a taste of his own medicine.

"What, big bad vamp afraid of a little girl?" she called out into the shadows.

She heard a sudden tut-tuting.

"'Ello there, slayer." she heard a low voice say.

He emerged out of the shadows, perhaps not as impressive as he could have been, for he was seated in a wheel chair. She stared down at him; she knew who it was from the moment he spoke.

"Spike." she spat.

The platinum haired master-vampire just smirked at her, even from his position he managed to look confident and cocky. She glared back at him. For a long moment they stood (sat) in a dead lock, neither daring to be the first one to look away.

"So," Spike finally spoke up. "What brings you over to this neck of the woods?"

"Angel." Buffy replied before she had a chance to consider what she was telling him. She regretted it as soon as it left her mouth Spike's eyes widened, Buffy didn't have to be staring at him to know that his smirk had deepened.

"Well," he said, sounding infuriatingly amused. "_Angel_ is gone."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh don't play that game with me, Spike." she hissed. "Because it is so old. It is not going to unsettle me anymore." she shook her head stubbornly. Spike noticed that her eyes had been slightly dead a few minutes ago, not they were determined. "I have been hurt by it, and I have dealt with my issue, now it's gone and I want to kick some ass."

"Well, surely I haven't the foggiest what you're on about," he said, though it was obvious to both of them he knew exactly what she had said. "But I mean that the bloke's gone out to get a bite to eat."

Buffy stared at him for a long moment, discerning whether she would be right to trust his answer or not. She concentrated for a moment, letting her instincts take over and trying to block out the smirking blond in front of her. When she was satisfied, she deflated, broke eyes contact and surveyed the mansion.

"Fooey." she said distractedly. "And I so wanted to do it too."

Spike arched a scarred eyebrow.

"Whatever you say, pet."

Buffy turned her attention back to him, it unsettle her that he was being so nonchalant in her presence, she was the slayer-dammit and he was a vampire who was stuck in a wheelchair, he was practically defenseless.

She smiled sweetly.

"You know I ought to stake you and leave your duster for them to find." she mused out loud hoping to get something from spike, a scared look, or maybe even a beg. "I can even donate your chair to the Red Cross, everybody wins."

Unfortunately for Buffy she wasn't going to get anything out of him that easily. instead of a shocked look, or even an annoyed look Buffy didn't even get a look. Spike just pulled out a cigarette and took a long languid pull.

"Yeah right, slayer." he said.

"What?" she demanded shocked.

He looked up at her with his clear blue eyes.

"I could say that I _know_ you like the hunt just as much as the kill, if not more." he said thoughtfully, taking another drag. "And you have fought me, found it challenging and you aren't going to kill me now when I can do next to nothing about it."

"if you think that I find fighting you challenging well-"

Spike rolled his eyes.

"You haven't beaten me yet, slayer." he paused, thought for a moment and then nodded. "Not on fair ground anyway."

She just looked at him pointedly, she was the reason he was in the wheel chair at all.

"Two slayers." he explained. "Even I didn't see that coming, but that's a bitch innit?"

She stared at him. What did he mean when he said that he didn't see that coming? Did he predict everything she did? And why the hell was she making with the big thinking because of something SPIKE said. He was many things, but a great thinker was not one of them. Even angel attested to that.

However, right now he seemed to actually be thinking, although he did snap out of it quickly.

"The only reason you are still breathing now is your mum and you should know that." he informed her, he paused again. "Now where was I? Ah yes, I could also say that you won't stake me because of that whole compassion bit you humans have."

Buffy narrowed her eyes at his and crossed her arms. Her stake appeared in one of her hands and she held it up as if to remind him that she was still holding it.

"If you think I have compassion for you, then you are out of what little you have left of your mind."

Spike clicked his tongue.

"Very well, slayer." he said, grinning he wheeled his chair a little bit back and moved his arms to the side while keeping his elbows on the arms rests, it was an open gesture. He was intentionally giving her a target. "Do it."

Her eyes widened so much that it was almost comical; she very nearly dropped her stake.

"What?"

"You bloody well heard me." he said. "Do it. I won't stop you."

Buffy glared at him and then at the stake and then back at him and back at her stake. She couldn't do it. Not unless she was fighting him or he vamped or something. With him just sitting there looking like a roman statue carved out marble-she did not just compliment him- she couldn't bring herself to ram a big piece of wood into his chest.

Spike's smirk was back on his face.

"Thought not." he shook his head. "I've mentioned a lot of reasons that you won't stake me, pet, but truthfully?" he paused; Buffy she knew she wasn't going to like his answer. He leaned forward conspirationally. "I think that you just don't have the stones."

She stood there, glared at him for a long moment before huffing and striding away. all the while muttering that she was absolutely nothing to prove to him and was there to kill angel-Angelus! Angelus! Angelus! God, Buffy get it RIGHT!-and that was all.

Spike watched her walk away with amused blue eyes before shaking his head and going back to the book he was reading.

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**Author's note: **hope that you enjoyed. If i get enough reveiws i'll post the next chapter. So keep them coming. 


	2. Fluffy

**Author's note:** this is not Bangel, i hate Bangel, i swear to you, anything i write is Spuffy. Also, i may put some Angel bashing. Bloody brooding bastard.

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Chapter II - Fluffy

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The second time she arrived in the mansion, she came to kill Angelus. well, she came mostly to kill angelus, and just a little bit to get back at Spike for seeing right through her. How did he manage to do that, anyway?

She wanted to get back at him so she was going to piss him off.

She had only figured it out a few hours before she marched up to the mansion.

The only thing she really knew about Spike was that he wanted to kill her and that he had killed more slayers than any other vampire. Not a promising start. Weirdly, there was nothing else about him in the Watcher Diaries, none of them said when he was born, and none of them listed who he was before he was turned. They only spoke of his terrible deeds and the details of them were sketchy. For she knew he cold have killed two hundred slayers and the watcher diaries had only listen them down as two. That did not however take away from the horror of his many adventures.

And horror was anything but an exaggeration.

So basically, he was a thug.

Still, it didn't help her. She still had no idea how to anger him and then, a few hours later, it came to her. Spike must not like to feel cuddly. There was just no other way to put it. He probably hated being pitied and coddled just as much as she did. So she was going to go there and _pity_ him with all her might.

She would need the big guns.

She would need a stuffed-toy.

"You know, slayer, I know you're there so make up your bloody mind already."

She had been dawdling on the doorstep, deciding if she wanted to do this or not.

when she heard his voice, Buffy's blood rushed to her cheeks as she realized that he must be able to sense her just as well as she sensed him.

Ack! Bad Buffy how could she be so clueless? Ugh. She was being so blonde. Steeling herself, she walked though the door, it didn't register that she was entering a vampire's lair armed with only one stake and a teddy bear, she simply assumed that Spike was alone.

He was.

He sat there in the middle of the foyer, where they had had their last less than civil conversation. His head was cocked to the side and he was studying her intently.

Buffy took a deep breath and then forced her to smile her dubbed cheerleader smile.

He seemed to be rather taken aback.

"Hi!" she greeted.

"Slayer, do you realize that you have just waltzed into a known vampire's territory?" he asked arching an eyebrow.

"I'm the slayer," she said, completely forgetting her pity party act. "Its kind of what I do."

He looked at her a moment longer and Buffy found that she was to consciously resist the urge to squirm under his blue gaze. Note to self, the power of pretty blue eyes is highly underrated. (Did she just think something about spike was pretty? Ew. Not only ew, weird. Pretty was the last thing Spike was.)

"Right, you're the slayer." he said. "That why you come to a bloody mansion that is usually crawling with minions and what not, you come alone and armed with only one measly stake?"

Buffy narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth about come back with a stunningly witty retort when she realized that he had given her an opening, if she wasn't so fake cheery it may even sound sincere. She immediately shut her mouth and looked at the ground rather uncomfortably, she wasn't really all that uncomfortable but she wanted to piss of Spike, she wanted him to think she pitied him and didn't even think him harmful anymore.

"Uhm," she said. "Well...I..." she paused again.

Spike rolled his eyes.

"Spit it out."

"I thought you felt bad here all alone when the love of your unlife is out and about with-" she stopped and chanced a look at him. He was staring at her with a completely different emotion now. It suddenly struck Buffy that Spike was a little like Oz in that respect, he was a mask. She had never seen him display anything that wasn't amusement, arrogance or run of the mill pissed off-ness. "I should shut up now, right?"

He didn't say anything just waited for her to go on.

Buffy shrugged, pretending to look really embarrassed. She wiped her hands on her pants and then took out the teddy bear to put on his wheel chair.

"I know its stupid but I though that-"

When she put Fluffy-the stuffed bear she had decided on-down on one of the arms rest. The little caramel coloured teddy bear looked laughable next to the leather clad, peroxide haired creature of the night that Spike was. He looked down at the teddy bear that seemed garishly out of place. After a moment he looked up at Buffy, and then he did the last thing that she expected him to do.

He burst out laughing.

That put her out. To think she almost-well-kinda felt sorry for him. She had exaggerated the sympathy, of course, but that didn't change the fact that he was here all alone without Drucilla, it had only really struck her a few seconds after she said it. Maybe he really felt bad for being left by himself, maybe Spike could actually get hurt by her false pity.

Of course all those feeling were dashed when the vampire erupted into peals of laughter.

"You do not know how funny this is, slayer." he said between chuckles. "A vampire pity party held by none other than the bloody slayer." he shook his head. "Bloody hilarious."

All traces of warm feeling gone Buffy glared at him.

He looked up at her and smirked.

"Aw, c'mon, you didn't think I'd actually fall for it, did you?" ha said. Her look told him everything, he snorted indelicately. "Please, slayer, this is me, Spike. Favored Childe of Angelus and I'm sure you know from experience that _he_ is the bloody kind of mind games."

He paused for a minute, when her face darkened. He saw the slight jolt when he mentioned his sire's name. That, however, didn't bother him, what bothered him was that he noticed it enough to care. For some reason he didn't like it that she was getting so hurt because of Angel/us. That was the reason that he changed the subject so abruptly. He Decided to reveal to her just how see thought her ingenious plan was.

"I'm willing to bet that you thought you were going to get back at me for calling your bluff the other night." he said, trying to direct her attention away from her jaded lover. "'Prolly thought your pity would push me 'round the bend and get all pissed like so you could stake me good and proper. No guilt, no mess and you would've manipulated me too. Not bloody likely, slayer."

She was about to reply when she paused and thought about it.

"Okay, spike." she said. "That was a little more perceptive that I like my thugs."

He arched an eyebrow at the derogatory nickname.

"Thug?" he studied her for a second. "This is the mastermind behind the team that foils my every plan? I am deeply shamed.

Buffy ignored him.

"You saw right though me the other day." she said matter-of-factly crossing her arms in front of her chest. Off his surprised look she just rolled her eyes. "Yes, I am willing to admit it. And here I thought you were mister spot-of-violence guy and now you're mister think it all over-guy. What gives?"

"Come now you want to know more about me, slayer?" he asked curiously. He was genuinely curious. The first time she had come and then talked to him, he could understand her sticking around, after all, she came after Angelus and he was out then she saw his childe and decided to taunt him. She seemed to need to let out some steam. But tonight, she came back, and she came back looking for him and not to stake him. Could it be that she was actually intrigued? She wanted to know about him? She had even admitted that he was right. He had to fight to keep his mouth from dropping open.

"You know a lot about me." she said. "It's not fair."

He shot her a look.

"Evil, pet." he reminded her. "Don't chock a bloody lot up to 'fair'"

"But yes you do." Buffy countered. "On parent teacher's night you got rid of a perfectly good weapon to fight on even ground. You believe in fair." when she finished her statement she grinned. "See you aren't the only one who can do the perceptive thing. Not s much fun when being on the receiving end, huh? When someone knows you?"

Spike glanced at her weirdly and then sighed.

"I know a great deal more about slayers than you or your watcher do." he replied cryptically. "I doubt that there will be a time that we will be on even ground, slayer."

Buffy stared at him.

"Cloak and dagger much?" she whined. "What does that mean?"

The vampire cocked his head to one side he waited for her to see the obvious dismissal in his statement but Buffy just wasn't buying it.

Bint.

"It means that you should be on your way." he explained with a frustrated sigh. Then, he turned and began to wheel himself away closing his eyes and hoping that the stupid bint would take the hint and leave. When he finally turned to look behind him, she was gone.

Thank bloody God.


	3. Le Slayer, Elle Adore Parler

**Author's note:** Sorry for taking a long time. This is a pretty difficult story to pen. Its all conversation and i have to put in insights so it probably won't be updated as quickly, but i'm working on it, i promise. :D

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**Chapter III - Le Slayer, Elle Adore Parler**

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"J'adore ma chat." Buffy said out loud. "J'adore ma chat."

She paused and though for a long moment and then deflated.

"What does that mean again?" she paused and sighed. "I love to chat?"

Ugh.

Why hadn't she thought to bring Willow?

French homework and patrol, unmixy things, file away for future Buffy reference. well, she really couldn't call what she was doing patrol anyway, it was more like a very, very boring walk though the cemetery when she could be at home practicing her French or even more importantly out with her friends clocking in some much needed Bronze time.

She sighed and was about to turn around and head home when she suddenly heard the beginnings of a fight in the near distance and brightened considerably. Oh god, just how sick was she?

"That's funny." she mused aloud as she picked up her pace, heading towards the struggle. "I though I was the one going to do the big fighting today."

She stopped a little before the fight itself and was promptly stunned speechless with what she saw.

A three ton Xugenash demon facing off against a lone figure that seemed dwarfed in comparison. It took a few flashes of platinum blonde hair and black leather and a few muttered bloody hells before the man registered as Spike.

She quickly jumped into the fray doing everything she could to try and ward of the demon but it proved too strong even for her. Suddenly, he had her engulfed in a bear hug that was quickly squishing the life out of her. She was about to call out for help when she found that she had no air left in her lungs with whish to breathe. It was when she was slowly blacking out that she heard a few chanted Latin words and felt a massive blow of magickal power-something that no doubt she would ask Willow about later-and the demon fell dead. Buffy brushed her sweaty palms on her jacket and turned to the vampire.

No that the danger was over Spike was leaning against a tree lighting a cigarette.

"Unless you've forgotten." she snapped. "Slaying is my job." She had thought that he would be horrified if he realized that what he had just done definitely fell under the good column. He had slayed something, even saved the slayer's life. "And I though you wanted me dead?"

Spike nodded after taking a long drag.

"I do." he said. "only I want to be the one that gets to do the killing."

"Right." Buffy said. "Take your best shot."

"Slayer, I don't-"

Buffy suddenly realized something.

"Hey, Spike," she said. "Do you realize that you are waking around with out the aid of a wheel chair?"

He gave her a look that decidedly said 'duh.'

"Okay, okay, so since when where you back amongst the walking dead?"

"Since maybe three days after the bloody incident."

Buffy's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets.

"Got to love that vampire healing." she said mainly to herself. She was carefully thinking about the repercussions that this may have on her slaying. She didn't want to have mortally wounded a vamp only to have him pop back the next day with a vengeance.

"Vamp healing's got nothing to do with it." Spike said shaking his head.

Buffy stared at him confused.

"Went to see about a witch." Spike said rolling his eyes.

"Huh?" she shook her head. "You know you speak weird I NEVER understand what you have to say. Why don't you just speak English? Not that 'bloody' language they speak in-"

"England?" Spike supplied.

"You know Giles gives me the same exact look whenever I say that."

"Slayer, everyone looks at insane people the same way."

Buffy scowled at him.

"You should really be one to talk about insane." she said harshly.

Spike raised his eye brows.

"Oh ho! The kittie has claws." he said shaking his head. She couldn't help but grin triumphantly. She knew the comment wouldn't devastate him, Spike was, as a rule, hard to devastate, but she did hope that it would sting. Her smiled disappeared, however, when he went on. "An underhanded comment about my girlfriend to get my hackles up? Not going to work slayer."

"You know Spike, not everything is mind game." she shot back crossing her arms and tilting her head to one side.

Spike nodded and took another drag of his cigarette.

"No," he said. "But this is."

Buffy's jaw dropped open, then her eyes narrowed and then she snapped her jaw closed, all in quick succession. This amused Spike greatly. A second later, she thwacked him on the arm, strong enough to knock him backwards, which amused Spike less.

"That is so not fair!" she snarled. "You can't just go around tying people up into little packages with out being all gift wrapped yourself!" she smacked him again. "Get out of my head."

"Then don't make it so bloody easy to read you." he replied finally putting the cigarette out with the heel of his boot. "You know you make it so easy for Angelus," she didn't seem to recoil at the name. Spike inwardly smirked, another piece on information that would help later on. "He knows how you tick and how you make you go haywire, instead of stressing about every bloody thing he does to you, fight back."

Buffy stared at him. Spike rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"Did you just help me?" she asked incredulously.

Spike nodded without hesitation.

"S'no fun to watch if the enemy is getting massacred." he said. "It has to be a close fight to catch attention." he paused and smirked. "Sides, like I said, I want to be the one to kill you; I'm not going to let my sire do it for me."

"Yeah?" she asked her bravado snapping back into place. "You going to kill me? When?"

Spike chuckled.

"When you least expect It." he said.

With that, he turned on his heel and began to stride away, his duster billowing behind him. About a second later, however he stop and turned around a thoughtful expression occupied his face.

"Oh, and by the way," he said as an afterthought. "'J'adore ma chat' means 'I love my cat'; I love to chat is 'J'adore parler'"

He turned again and walked off this time, he did not look back.

usually Buffy would have been insulted that he dared turn away form her and sent a stake flying at his heart though his back, but the only though running through her mind was the fact she had just had a semi civil conversation with William the bloody.

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**Author's note: **i'm not so sure about the french, i haven't spoken french in years, so if its wrong. Sorry. 


	4. Birthdays

**Author's note:** some of this exchange actually belongs to Joss. the rest is mine... hope you like it.

okay, i just read though it... and Ohmygod i made SO MANY MISTAKES! I'm so sosrry guys. But bear with me because i have no BETA...**

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Chapter VI – Regarding Birthdays

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"So why'd you try and end the world?"

They had fought for about an hour and neither had gotten the upper hand; they both knew that neither was going to kill the other today. This was a token fight. They dropped their stance almost simultaneously.

"So why did you try and end the world?" Buffy repeated. she trying to make conversation.

It didn't strike either of them how strange their situation was. Both of them standing across each other in the middle of a cemetery in the middle of the night just talking to each other.

Spike arched an eyebrow and lit a cigarette.

"Didn't try to end it." He said after a puff. "Tried to destroy it. There's a difference."

Buffy shook her head and pocketed her stake.

"Okay, specific-boy," sheasked decideing to humour him. "why did you try to destroy it?"

Spike considered this carefully, smoking his cigarette.

"It's what evil baddies do." Spike said.

Buffy rolled her eyes. He noticed this and tucked his tongue behind his teeth in amusement. Buffy smacked him playfully. he so was not getting the poit of what she was asking him.

"But _why?_" she asked in a more whiny tone of voice dsigned just to annoy him.

He was on to her. He knew she was trying to get on his nerve. So, of course, he refrained from answering her question.

"Stubborn bint aren't you?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and he laughed inwardly at her obvious frustration.

"You," she said pointing at him. "Are being avoid-y guy. What gives?"

At this, Spike took a deep breath and smoked the rest of his cigarette. Taking his time just to piss her off.

"You are being annoying girl."

Buffy crossed her arms.

"Answer the question."

"You know," he said, his voice sounded conversational but uncertain."I don't rightly know."

"You don't rightly know?" Demanded Buffy, "You don't rightly know?" she began gesturing wildly. Spike had to step back to avoid getting hit by her frantic hands. "Oh, its not like it's of any importance its just the WHOLE _FREAKING_ _**WORLD**_ we're talking about here."

"Well, for what purpose would you rather I tried to destroy the world, slayer?" he asked her flicking open his lighter and setting fire the tip of the next cigarette.

"Well, I'm not so sure." She said. "I just thought that you would say something like 'so that I could get back at humanity for being tamed and or ignorant, and or pretty'-you know." She shrugged. "whatever gets your apocalypse-y juices flowing."

"Dru wanted it." Spike said cutting off her rant.

"DRU wanted it?" Buffy asked him disbelievingly.

"For your birthday." Spike said with a nod.

"So you just did it?"

Spike laughed humorlessly.

"I may be love's bitch," he said, calling himself a nickname he had devised long ago. It was very apt. "But I am man enough to admit it."

Buffy barked a laugh.

"Boy, I wish my boyfriend spoiled me like that." She said, but then she paused and grimaced, remembering again her situation. "Then again, I think my boyfriend would love to get me a raging world destroying smurf."

Spike snorted.

"He probably would." he agreed. "'E'd be bloody ecstatic."

Buffy shook her head and took a seat on a raised gravestone.

"You do know that-usually, and I don't think I'm alone here-_traditionally-_you give gift to the person who is actually _celebrating_ the birthday." She said swinging her legs.

Spike flicked away his now finished cigarette and sat next to her on the cold stone.

"Crazy thing, that." He said with a mischeivous grin.

Buffy turned to him. She should have known that Spike was not one for tradition. She was sure that, as far as he was concerned, tradition was there just so that he knew what NOT to do.

"Speaking of birthdays." She said deciding to voice a questionthat had been niggling at her for a while."When's yours?"

Spike looked at her strangely for a long moment.

"November." he said. "November 15, 1796."

"1796?" Buffy repeated. she stopped swinging her legs and thought hard. "Hmmmmm, that would make you…"

Spike looked down and shook his head.

"Wonder of wonders are you doing math?"

Buffy spared him a wry smile.

"Very, very old."

"Atta girl."

Buffy jumped off the raised platform and paced around.

"November 15th, huh?"

"Problem with that?" he asked watching her pace and lighting another cigarette.

"Nope." She said. "I'm just wondering what would have happened if you had said something like April 7th or May 26th, you know?"

"And if I did?"

Buffy laughed. That would be very strange indeed. She had rather expected him to have a weird birthday like October 31st or something. Although, some to think about it, a baddie with a birthday was a strange thing. It made them seem more human. somehow, no date would be appropriately dark enough for Spike. hell it worked even for humans. Hitler's birthday was probably not a very apt day of the year. There was no day dark enough for so terrible a man.

"God forbid." She said, voicing her thoughts.Wow,deep thoughts for Buffy."It'd be like the birds are singing and the flowers blooking and out comes Spike the little bad ass."

Spike chortled.

It struck her just hten that she had just compared Spike to man. A person, who supposedly had a soul. And yet, in six years killed more people than Spike could ever hope to in his 202 years of existence. Did Hitler have a soul? And if so what good would it do?

"Well, It's not as if you have the same problem." He said. "Your birthday is September 20th."

Buffy nodded, she was still a little lost in her thoughts. hhis last words, however managed to peirce through the fog of her brain.

"You're right." she said eyeing him suspiciously."How'd you know?"

Spike looked solemn.

"Know thine enemy." He said.

Buffy laughed. She promptly forgot about all the serious thoughts she had been having. She was beginning to realize (well, not at this moment, but when she reflected on her times with Spike) that he managed to make her either forget about everything or make her ask questions that forced her too look into things she did not want to.

"That is so disturbing." She said light-heartedly."You sound so much like the Tweed-man."

"I suppose you mean that Watcher of yours."

Buffy nodded.

"I live to disturb, Madame." He said, he bowed and then flicked out the cigarette and ground it out under his heel.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at his cordial and suddenly posh tones.

"Stop it." She said.

"But Madame, why?" he asked with a mischievous grin, he pretended to be aghast. An over exaggerated version of Giles."Have I offended you in some way?"

"Spike, seriously-"

"Really now, Slayer, you know better to jerk a gentleman's chain and not to give proper reason." He smirked and raised a challeging eyebrow. "I must demand you apologize." He paused and even made a huff of indignation that sent Buffy into giggles. "Immediately."

Buffy shook her head.

"Okay, what put you in Giles mode?" she asked.

Spike laughed then put on a persona that quite resembled Giles at his dodderiest.

"Really, Buffy, I must say that I cannot stress enough how integral to your calling discretion is." He said. "It really is the best way to go about it." He smirked off her horrified look. "How am I doing?"

"Do any better and I'll come to you the next time I can't identify a demon." She said.

"Don't." Spike said snapping back to his bad-arse persona."I'll get you killed."

"I thought that was what you wanted?" she asked knowing already the answer.

Spike rolled his eyes.

"You already know this tune, slayer." He said. "You aren't dying unless I'm causing it."

Buffy nodded. She had heard him say that many times before. She realized suddenly that it was probably getting late and she had school the next day. She glanced around the cemetery to see if she had missed any way ward vamps while fighting (verbally and physically) with this one.

"I've gotta motor or else my real watcher'll have my head." She said after deciding that she had not missed any."Not gone try your hand at killing me tonight?"

Spike shook his head and lit yet another cigarette. Buffy nodded and began walking off. She had gotten perhaps fifteen feet away when he answered.

"We'll dance another time, love." He said.

She looked aver her shoulder.

"You think we're dancing?" she asked disbelieveingly.

Spike nodded.

"That's all we've ever done."


	5. Human

**Author's note: **Hello, everyone, Im so sorry that I took so very long to update this fic but Ive been out of the country and only now have I been able to gt back to it.Can I also say that the SATs are a BITCH. I've actually been studying DAMMIT! So anyway, here it is. I wrote this fic to be pretty short so there will be a few more chapters Which I just need whipping up.

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Chapter V – Human

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She had dusted three or four vampires, all of them fledgings and all of them no fun. So Buffy was justabout to call it a day when she felt the familiar tingles on her neck that signaled that Spike was close.

Buffy froze, she couldn't help the big grin that spread across her face. Whether or not she hated him or kinda liked him-she wasn't quite so sure anymore-she could not doubt that he was fun. She whirled around, careful to wipe the grin off her face.

He was standing arms crossed, leaning his right arm on a tree. His head was cocked, and he had a malicious smirk across his features.

"Hello there, cutie." He drawled lowly.

Even stationary, she could see the tense muscles coiling underneath his duster and wondered for a moment why he covered them.She mentally tried to remember if she had ever seen him without the long black coat.

She couldn't remember a single moment that he had been sans duster. She didn't go to fight him immediately, instead she pocketed her stake, an action that surprised to vampire-but he refrained from comment, waiting to see what the slayer would do.

that kinda of familliarity had been going on for a while now, on both sides and he was curious as to see what was going on.

"Hey, Spike I have a question for you."

Whatever he was expecting, it was not that.

"Do you, now?" he asked cautiously keeping his features away from open surprise.

Buffy nodded.

"Was Drusilla really your sire?"

Again, she was surprising him. Spike considered his thoughts carefully before answering. He decided that the best reaction was an good opposition.

"Why do you ask, slayer?"

Buffy shrugged, she looked calculatedly nonchalant and Spike folt his smirk deepen.

"All the watcher books are non-conclusive." She said. "Its like… _William the Bloody drained by Drusilla,_ and yadda, whadda and prada but nothing about the whole bigsiring-thing and all. So I was wondering because as far as I know, the watcher diaries are supposed to be like crystalline with the clearness and this is just muddled at best."

Spike quirked an eyebrow.

"And why are you reading into me, pet?"

Buffy shrugged again.

"Well, I started out by researching Angelus but after a while I realized I would get more information if I just asked you." She replied honestly. She figured honesty was the best policy with Spike, he usually managed to see though her anyway. "but then I thought, well might as well have some information to ruin your big baddiness for leverage but there is almost nothing about you in the books."

It didn't strike either of them how strange this conversation was.

"Bout Angelus?" Spike mused for a second, he exhaled and took a seat on one of the raised sarcophaguses. He mulled over the facts in his head."Right, pet, enlighten me, why should I be doing this? Giving you-the enemy-all this information?"

Buffy was about to come back with a hasty retort when she realized that she had no reason for him to be helping her. She was, after all his nemesis and she was asking him to rat out his sire-or his grandsire-whichever. She realized just then that Spike had very effectively dodged the question that she had initially asked him.

In all fairness, she had not expected to say to him what she did. She had not planned on asking him for staking tips, as she had basically done.

"So that you can take Dru and leave Sunnydale un-dusty?"

"How do you know that I even want to do that?"

Buffy frowned. She studied him carefully. As soon as she mention Drusilla, his face clouded over suddenly. She had unintentionally proded a sore spot.

"Do they know that you can walk?" she asked effectively sidestepping the question.

Spike shook his head, his stnace was still closed and he was not looking at her.

Buffy smiled triumphantly.

"Which means they aren't paying much attention, are they?" she deduced logically, with every word her tone got less and less triumphant. "Which means Dru's run back to Angelus and you're left all alone. Arent you?"

She studied his face for any signs of pain but saw only the impassive mask he had perfected over the centuries. His jaw tightened for a split second, if Buffy had blinked she would have missed it.

"I'm supposing you're going to make a point soon, pet."

She nodded.

"So... don't you want to get rid of Angel?"

Spike considered this and took a deep breath. Buffy watched in wonder as she witnessed the subtle shift, every layer of Spike dropping off until suddenly she noticed the slight droop of his shoulders, the shifting of his eyes that could no longer meet hers, the clench of his jaw. And then he said four words that made Buffy realize just how much the last few months had taken their toll on Spike. She realized just how much more terrible this was for him than it was for her.

"Angelus is my sire."

And then he met her eyes, and she saw mirrored in them the same pain that she was going through. The same indecision, the same betrayal and the very same vulnerability.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Moments passed, with neither of them saying anything, neither of them needing to say anything. After a few long moments, Buffy shattered the tangible silence.

"This is killing you too, isn't it?" She ventured quietly. She looked down and shiftedher weight from foot to foot."He wants her and she wants him and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Dru is with her Daddy." He said bitterly. It was the firstreal feeling she had ever seen him display, anemotionthat went deeper that sarcasm and malicious delight."And Angelus-that sick bastard is reveling in his most sinister creation." he nodded a slow, tight now."Yes, It's killing me."

With shaky hands, he lit a cigarette and put it between his lips.He paused for a long moment beforetaking a long healing drag.

Buffy knew that this was the most open shewould seeSpike. The most candid he would ever be with her, with anyone.A hundred years with Angelus and two hundred with Dru had jaded him. Closed him off.

She slumped in her seat. As had as she tried tofight them, shefelt tears prikle against the back of her eyes. Once they were there,she didn't bother to push them back.

What Angelus had done to Spike in the century before he became Angel, he had done to her in only a few short months.

The tears slipped silently down her face.

Spike must have sensed them because he turned to her and wiped them away gently. His cool fingers were a soothing whisper against her flesh. She leaned into him slightly but did not move any closer.

"Truce then?"

His voice was low and terse. As if he himself was holding back tears.

Buffy could say nothing. She just nodded.

He sighed, stubbed out his cigarette and then turned away from her. He wasintent on disappearing into the night.

Unwilling to let him go before paying him back for the small comfort he had given her, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She felt him tense beneath her and was about to pull away, when his own hand came up, covered hers and squeezed lightly. When he let her go she knew to pull away.

He strode away then and she watched him go. Thinking for a moment that Spike was the most human vampire she had ever met.


	6. Planning

**Author's note: **Hey everyone. Don't kill me. I know its been forever, and this story fun and fluffy as it is almost done. Only one more chapter left and I'm almost done, but I do have a term paper to write, I'll try to post it soon as I can. :)

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Chapter VI – Planning

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"So are you still playing nice boy with them?"

"That's pretty kinky, Slayer,"

"Oh, ew. That was _so_ not what I was asking!"

"Then what were you asking, pet?"

"You are being impossible, why are you being impossible?"

"Because it makes you pout, slayer, and when you pout you are bloody irresistible."

"Back to the plan."

"You're blushing!"

"Spike!"

"Slayer!"

"We have to discuss the plan."

"I know the bloody plan."

"We need to have this completely clear."

"Its as clear as its going to bloody get!"

"Let's go over it."

"Slayer-"

"Just one more time. I only want to have to kill my ex- honey and your ho-bag only once."

"Do not underestimate me."

"Oh, I don't. You know I don't. I just hope that _they_ do."

"You flatter me."

"Don't get used to it. So you just wheel around-"

"Mind me own business like a good little lackey then-"

"Why do you talk like that, Spike? you went to Oxford!"

"SLAYER!"

"Okay, okay, You wait for me to attack in which case-"

"I fight off the hounds and hellions of torment with vicious fist and fang-"

"And make sure-"

"To keep the minions off your back."

"You know, of course that you might have to-"

"Kill Dru. Dust my ripe wicked plum the woman I took care of the last hundred or so years; we've gone over this, slayer. She's not mine anymore. Never was."

"You can say it now."

"Angel... Oh, look, Slayer, you didn't flinch. Looks like we both made some progress yeah?"

"Getting profound now, Spike?"

"Lots of time to think in m'chariot. Can't wait to get out of it."

"Still call it that?"

"Sounds better than 'wheel chair' don't it, slayer?"

"I will admit begrudgingly."

"BLOODY HELL! are you agreeing with me? Well, lookie here, Hell just became a skating rink."

"I'll deny it to my deathbed.

"And Angel-" of his look she corrected herself. "Angelus has no idea that you're here?"

"Oh no, he sent me himself. This is all part of his heinous, evil plan. I'm to make nice with you and then kill you when you're back is turned, I'm also to steal all the watcher's tweed suits and the school flag."

"He admits it! Evil dead bleach boy is going to stab us all in the back." There was a pause. "And he went to Oxford. Didn't Giles go to Oxford?"

Buffy and Spike snapped out of their conversation when a completely different voice chimed in. For a second they had completely forgotten that they were in the middle of the library of Sunnydale High and that they were surrounded by the scoobies. They turned their heads in Xander's direction. In fact, the rest of the scoobies turned to stare at him.

"What? No one else find this is the least bit wiggy that these two are having that conversation?"

Oz nodded.

"Strangeness abounds."

"Why is Spike even here?" Xander asked, holding out a wooden cross and trying his best to look menacing and unafraid.

The vampire in question rolled his eyes. He turned to the dark haired youth with a look of pure annoyance.

"We've got a truce, whelp." He stepped away from Buffy and towards Xander, his demeanor shifted immediately from playful and sardonic to menacing and Xander knew in an instant why William the Bloody was a feared and revered name in the Watcher's council. "Of course," Spike drawled un-hurriedly, reveling in Xander's fear. "Our agreement never extended to-"

"Spike!" chastised Buffy before he could get to the point of what he was saying.

Spike turned back to Buffy, his demeanor shifting again.

"Right, right, Slayer, I'll play nice with the kiddies." He said rolling his eyes.

"Good." Buffy said crossing her arms over her chest and lifting her chin. "Because we have not finished discussing the plan."

Spike looked at her incredulously.

"There was more to this plan of yours?" he asked arching his eyebrow. "Slayer, we both know what we're doing. S'not bloody rocket science, pet."

Buffy signed and looked down, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Spike, I just need to make sure I didn't miss anything." She said quietly. She paused and looked down at her hands so no one could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't miss anything."

The volatile vampire immediately frowned, he craned his neck peering at her intently.

"Slayer-"

"All of this is my fault, Spike." She said in the same quiet but firm voice. She pushed back the tears and looked up. "I brought forth the true Angelus." She looked up, determination in her eyes proving once again how being a slayer had aged Buffy beyond her years. "And after this I want to rest for the first time since my birthday."

Spike eyed her cautiously for a long moment.

"Something happen today, pet?"

"Buffy, Are you sure-"

Both eyes turned to Giles, both having forgotten that they weren't the only ones present in the room again.

"I'm sure, Giles." Buffy answered before Giles could voice the question. They all knew what the younger Englishman wanted to know. "Spike wants to help." She grinned at Spike. "He's part of the world, kinda affected if it should, Oh, Say, All go to hell."

"Well, er, he did try to end the world himself."

Buffy smirked at Spike.

"He tried to destroy it." She said wryly. "That's a completely different thing."

Spike winked at her in recognition of his own words.

"So about what happened?" he prompted.

"Angel sent a minion. Wants to meet me face to face. Alone."

Spike froze, he turned his stricken navy eyes to Buffy who was surprised to see Spike looking so intense.

"Don't go."

"Spike?"

"Seriously, pet." The vampire repeated. "Don't go. It's a trap." He turned acknowledging the scoobies as a whole for the first time that night. "M'guessing you're planning on resouling the git."

At all their surprised faces he waved his hand.

"That's right, er, Spike, very astute of you."

"Only thing in the world that smells that bad, Watcher, is Toad Stone." he jerked his chin in the direction of the table. "And if I know the way you sods operate you're planning on doing it right here in the **unprotected** school." He waited for the watcher to nod begrudgingly.

"Well, actually-" Willow piped up, but Spike cut her off.

"Not that I'm saying this is a good idea, mind. " he said ignoring Willow. "but if you **must** do it in one of your houses, one he's never been to." Spike paused and quickly amended him self. "One he doesn't know the location of." He turned back to Buffy. "Either way, pet, do not go meet Angelus. S'a trap. I've seen this ploy a hundred times."

The slayer looked at Spike strangely.

"Spike, were you just being level headed?" she asked incredulously. "who are you and what have you done with the bleached vampire that was here just a minute ago?"

The tell tale smirk spread across Spike's face.

"Baby, I have layers like you wouldn't believe."

Buffy's lips quirked.

"Ah, there he is."

"Hate to disappoint."


End file.
